does anyone use chromeOS stuff

[OBLAMA2009]

chromebooks are almost everywhere now. i saw the hp one at costco and im tempted to get one (or maybe get one with a higher resolution screen when they come out. they have better touchpads than windows machines. does anyone here use chromeOS stuff?

 

[s44]

Typing this on a Chromebook. Mine doesn't get much use, though, because after growing accustomed to a 1080p SAMOLED phone and 2560*1600 PLS tablet, the TN 1366*768 is a drag to look at.

The only IPS one is the old HP 11", and the only one with higher resolution is the Samsung 13". Unfortunately the HP is being discontinued for a model that's heavier and non-IPS and still has the circa 2012 processor (WTF!?). The Samsung has the same processor as my tablet, which is fine, but it's expensive as far as Chromebooks go and is still TN. IPS would make it a no-brainer, but I think it's still the best option unless you're dual-booting a full Linux distro.

(This probably belongs in the SFF/notebook forum, though the folks over there are Windows-obsessed.)

 

[Red Storm]

I use my CB all the time, it's my on the go notebook. I love not worrying about windows updates or vulnerabilities, ESPECIALLY for my tech illiterate family members. I used to have to help them all the time with Windows, not so with a Chromebook.

 

[ponyo]

I love ChromeOS. I would get a Chromebook if I needed a laptop. But tablets and phones have pretty much eliminated my need for a laptop. I'm more interested in compact desktop right now. I bought the Asus Chromebox and absolutely love the device. The hardware is amazing for what you get for $179.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

I love ChromeOS. I would get a Chromebook if I needed a laptop. But tablets and phones have pretty much eliminated my need for a laptop. I'm more interested in compact desktop right now. I bought the Asus Chromebox and absolutely love the device. The hardware is amazing for what you get for $179.

cool, is it fast enough? did u get the celeron or i3 one? does it have any glaring defects

i wish they would hurry up and come out with chromebooks with fast intel chips (i3 at least) and higher res screens, i cares more about resolution than screen quality. they should forget about the arm chromebooks, they just dont cut it at all.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I think with any Chrome OS stuff it is for two camps of nerds: those with idiot family members and those who love Linux and want cheap hardware.

I am in both camps so I love Chrome OS stuff.

 

[s44]

You can't tell the difference between i3 and Haswell Celeron in actual ChromeOS use. And reviews suggest the quad-A15 Samsungs multitask more smoothly than the Celerons. The 13" Chromebook 2 seems to be the device for you.

Apparently the horsepower on the Intel side is going to go backwards, as the i3 is too expensive for non-box use and all future Celerons/Pentiums are going to be Bay Trail/next-gen-BT based and not cut-down versions of the main architecture. This was a transition year where Intel didn't have Bay Trail ready so offered the cut-down Haswell Celeron.

Btw, these things all seem to have Hangouts call pre-installed... which with my GV account makes it a handy VOIP speakerphone.

 

[darkewaffle]

Some idiots in my tech dept thought it was a good idea to get a Chromebook Pixel for a high ranking company official who needed a laptop for just remote email access.

That went over well. It's now collecting dust lol. To be fair said official is absolutely tech retarded.

 

[Qwertilot]

Like mine for home use. Keyboards nice for tab management as well as the obvious of typing things.

Never have used a laptop for much more than I can do with it, so haven't bothered with linux or anything. About the only thing I'd get would be a slightly nicer e-mail program.

A shame if the IPS on that HP is lost though, that's nice and screen quality really is the place they most obviously lose vs tablets. Maybe the denser resolution on the new Samsungs makes up for being TN a bit.

 

[ponyo]

cool, is it fast enough? did u get the celeron or i3 one? does it have any glaring defects

i wish they would hurry up and come out with chromebooks with fast intel chips (i3 at least) and higher res screens, i cares more about resolution than screen quality. they should forget about the arm chromebooks, they just dont cut it at all.

I have the Celeron. No complaint with speed. I can't tell the difference it and my i5 desktop. I haven't found any defect. It's pretty much the perfect device for me as HTPC.

The appeal of the Chromebook and Chromebox for me is the low price and the light and secure OS. At equal or comparable price, I rather use Windows. It's why I don't want i3 Chromebox. At that price, I might as well just get Intel NUC and install anything I want.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Some idiots in my tech dept thought it was a good idea to get a Chromebook Pixel for a high ranking company official who needed a laptop for just remote email access.

That went over well. It's now collecting dust lol. To be fair said official is absolutely tech retarded.

A Chromebook is perfect for a tech manager. They can look like they know what they are doing (aka seem "tech savvy") while still getting to play online poker in meetings! win-win

 

[dguy6789]

Have a Haswell based Chromebook here. It's awesome. It's everything ultrabooks should have been. iPad like battery life and very portable.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Is it me or does it seem like Chromebooks are only good for surfing the web. So anytime I waste time on Reddit and AT forums, that's the perfect thing to use.

However any one bit of document creation or editing and it goes out the window? I mean perhaps Docs, Sheets, Slides are usable, but that would be like I'm out on business and I have to get those slides in because my director's presenting to the VP or something so I'll edit them.

 

[Roland00Address]

Besides lack of space due to 16gb emmc or a very small ssd. Is there any reason why you keep the chromeOS on their instead of putting some linux distro on there such as Ubuntu if your technical and don't mind installing an OS?

I figure the ability to use actual software instead of just web browsing will be part of the appeal of such light, powerful, good battery life, and cheap netbooks/ultrabooks. Or is part of the appeal that the only thing you can do really well is browse the internet?

 

[s44]

Or is part of the appeal that the only thing you can do really well is browse the internet?

Well yes. It reduces the software update/maintenance time to basically zero.

 

[crashtestdummy]

I think a chromebook is the ideal device to give an elderly person. It's simple, great for email and web browsing, and mostly foolproof. It's basically a slightly more limited tablet with a keyboard instead of a touch screen.

It's a very limited device, but in all honesty a lot of people don't use a computer for anything other than media consumption.

 

[crashtestdummy]

Besides lack of space due to 16gb emmc or a very small ssd. Is there any reason why you keep the chromeOS on their instead of putting some linux distro on there such as Ubuntu if your technical and don't mind installing an OS?

I figure the ability to use actual software instead of just web browsing will be part of the appeal of such light, powerful, good battery life, and cheap netbooks/ultrabooks. Or is part of the appeal that the only thing you can do really well is browse the internet?

The bolded. I wouldn't bother with a Chromebook if you're technically minded, unless you just want a toy.

Chromebooks don't really make viable computers. They're merely effective web portals.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I got a Chromebook during the Best Buy XP trade in deal. Picked the HP Chromebook 11 because of the IPS display.

I was skeptical about Chromebook, but now that I have one and have used it I really like it and use it quite a bit. I don't think you have to be a simpleton or non-techie to appreciate the simplicity of the device.

Sure this won't replace a Windows machine. But it's a nice secondary machine to have around the house that's cheap and pretty much failure proof. That Chromebook could be destroyed and I'd feel nothing, because it was cheap and everything was saved to the cloud.

 

[ponyo]

The bolded. I wouldn't bother with a Chromebook if you're technically minded, unless you just want a toy.

Chromebooks don't really make viable computers. They're merely effective web portals.

Chromebook is for everyone. For the casual, it's great web portals. For techies, it's perfect platform to run Linux. You get open source BIOS and laptop with slick form factor, SSD, and amazing battery life at super low price. To get that on Windows or OS X, you have to pay a high premium.

I strongly disagree Chromebooks don't make viable computers. Chromebooks make excellent computers. Computers and devices like the Chromebook and Chromebox are the future. How you use it is up to you.

BTW, Woot is selling the refurb HP 14" Chromebook for $220 plus $5 shipping today. Woot HP 14" Chromebook

I just ordered one even though I don't really need a laptop. I might play around with Crouton and various Linux. It has the Haswell Celeron, 4 gb ram, 32 gb SSD, and 4G HSPA+. You get 2 years of 200mb month free 4G internet service from T-Mobile. The 4gb ram, 32 gb SSD, and the 4G internet was what interested me in this laptop. And I prefer 14" to 11" screen. Costco is selling the same laptop although brand new for $380. So $220 for refurb is pretty good price IMO.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

Chromebook is for everyone. For the casual, it's great web portals. For techies, it's perfect platform to run Linux. You get open source BIOS and laptop with slick form factor, SSD, and amazing battery life at super low price. To get that on Windows or OS X, you have to pay a high premium.

I strongly disagree Chromebooks don't make viable computers. Chromebooks make excellent computers. Computers and devices like the Chromebook and Chromebox are the future. How you use it is up to you.

BTW, Woot is selling the refurb HP 14" Chromebook for $220 plus $5 shipping today. Woot HP 14" Chromebook

I just ordered one even though I don't really need a laptop. I might play around with Crouton and various Linux. It has the Haswell Celeron, 4 gb ram, 32 gb SSD, and 4G HSPA+. You get 2 years of 200mb month free 4G internet service from T-Mobile. The 4gb ram, 32 gb SSD, and the 4G internet was what interested me in this laptop. And I prefer 14" to 11" screen. Costco is selling the same laptop although brand new for $380. So $220 for refurb is pretty good price IMO.

wow good find, i just saw that one at costco last weekend like you said. imma git one, tanks

 

[Inspector Jihad]

i have a haswell chromebook and i use it extensively. i'm always online and i use it for websites, online video and small presentations and docs for which google docs is perfect. the only thing i am missing is citrix so that i could use my hospital EMR. so i have my windows laptop to access my hospital records and games and my chromebook for everything else.

i guess i'll try the remote desktop app sometime.

 

[Face2Face]

A ton of schools are now buying them instead of iPads. I might get one for my kids. Maybe an HP with ADP warranty

 

[EvilYoda]

I bought one over a year ago to hold me over to the next release of the MBP - my mom uses it as her laptop now and she seems to like it. I did the whole Linux install thing but I bought the Chromebook for its simplicity...if I wanted to run Linux properly I would've bought a cheap Windows laptop at the time.

Chromebooks appeal in varying ways to each person...the lightness and battery life were great even though I didn't have the ability to watch all of my videos or play any games. I'm one of those people that don't mind having a very specific device for each need. I currently have an LG G2, Dell Venue 8 Pro, 13" rMBP, and a PC with a 24" screen. Maybe it's because I'm used to my ways but they each serve their purpose well, as did the Chromebook.

 

[ponyo]

I received the 14" HP Chromebook today. It's awesome. The screen quality and resolution isn't the best but for $220, I can't complain. I activated the free 4G Tmobile 200mb a month data. It was extremely easy. No credit card required and took less than 5 minutes. HP upgraded the free 200mb/month from 2 years to life of the product which is a nice bonus. I was able to activate the free 100gb Google Drive storage for my wife. I already received the 100gb storage from the Asus Chromebox purchase. I haven't used the free 60 days of Google Music pass yet or the 12 free GoGo flight internet. You're not guaranteed to get any of the Google freebies on a refurb product but mine came with all three. Excellent purchase and absolute steal at $220.

BTW, the Wifi signal on this Chromebook is ridiculously strong. There are corners in my house I don't get WiFi signal with any of my other devices like the iPad, iPhone, and Nexus 5, and Nexus 7. HP Chromebook gets almost 2 bars in these area.

 

[ponyo]

I tested the Gmail phone calling with the HP Chromebook. It worked perfectly and I was able to place and receive normal phone calls for free on both WiFi and T-Mobile HSPA+. With free Google Voice texting and Gmail phone calls, this could serve as free cell service to some people.